1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dental process and apparatus therefor. More specifically, this invention relates to a process for removing plaque from teeth by the application of heated water to the teeth and simultaneous brushing. The invention also relates to an apparatus including a handpiece for directing heated water to the teeth, as well as a rotary brush. A drive unit adapted to be powered by heated water is envisioned, a power shaft from the unit and part of the heated water exhaust being connected to the handpiece.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under .sctn..sctn.1.97-1.99
This invention deals with dental plaque removal. Dental plaque is a colony of bacteria held together by viscid substances called glucans which also help anchor the bacteria to the teeth. Bacteria account for approximately 70 percent of the plaque mass. Glucans account for 20 percent, and levans, which act as energy sources, account for the remaining 10 percent.
When the saliva comes in contact with the bare tooth enamel, a thin amorphous film mainly of glycoproteins rapidly forms on the surface of the tooth. Glycoproteins are molecules with a protein that is combined with carbohydrates. This film is called the acquired pellicle. The acquired pellicle is less than one micron in thickness. The actual bonding of the glycoproteins to the enamel cells is accomplished by means of electrostatic differences between the two. As an example, a protein with a negative charge could adhere to a positive receptor site on the tooth surface, while a molecule with a negative charge would adhere to a site on the tooth surface that had a positive charge. At this initial stage, the acquired pellicle had no colonies of bacteria.
The dental plaque attaches itself to the acquired pellical proteins by interactions similar to the attachment of the proteins to the bare tooth enamel; that is, by means of electrostatic differences between the pellicle and the bacterial wall and the glucans. Colonization of the pellical by the bacteria signals the formation of dental plaque. By means of electrostatic charges the bacterial cells adhere to the pellicle, cell walls of other bacteria or glucans making up the intercellular matrix of the plaque.
In the prior art processes for removal of dental plaque have involved the physical scraping of the teeth. Scraping coupled with ultrasonics and water spray has also been used.
Apparatus for treating the teeth in the past have taken various forms. Generally pertinent to the apparatus of the invention are various water-driven devices for brushing the teeth. Examples are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,283,314, which issued May 19, 1942 to J. L. Ckola. Such devices have included water-driven turbines, located directly in or on the handpiece, and a brush at the opposite end of the handpiece. In some cases, water from the turbine has been delivered to the brush. Other examples are U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,867, which issued Oct. 7, 1975 to Hogsell; U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,433, which issued Mar. 24, 1981 to Kwan; U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,622, which issued June 29, 1982 to Teague, Jr. et al. (Copies of these patents are attached in accordance with 37 CFR 1.97-1.99.)